Mega Millions player wins nearly $1.8 million in California. Where was ticket sold?
by Don Sweeney · The Fresno BeeA Mega Millions ticket sold in California matched five numbers to win nearly $1.8 million and just missed the $1 billion jackpot, lottery officials say.
The ticket matched five winning numbers, but not the Mega Ball, in the drawing Tuesday, Dec. 24, the national Mega Millions site said.
The winning California ticket, worth $1.774 million, was sold at a Save Mart store in Lemoore, about a 30-mile drive south from Fresno.
Tickets sold in Missouri, Pennsylvania and Wyoming also matched five numbers to win $1 million each. California adjusts lottery prizes based on the number of tickets sold and number of winners.
Nobody won the grand prize, which now rises to an estimated $1.15 billion, with a cash option of approximately $516.1 million, for the next drawing Friday, Dec. 27, the site said.
The winning numbers were 11, 14, 38, 45 and 46 with a Mega Ball of 3, the lottery said. The Megaplier was 3x.
More than 4.2 million other tickets sold in the United States won prizes ranging from $2 to $30,000 in the drawing, the lottery said.
The Mega Millions jackpot has gone unclaimed since Sept. 10, when a Texas player hit the $810 million grand prize, lottery officials said.
What to know about Mega Millions
To score the jackpot in the Mega Millions, a player must match all five white balls and the gold Mega Ball. The odds of scoring a jackpot prize are 1 in 302,575,350.
Tickets cost $2 and can be bought on the day of the drawing, but sales times vary by state. Officials have announced they will cost $5 starting in April.
Drawings are held Tuesdays and Fridays at 11 p.m. ET and can be streamed online.
Mega Millions is played in 45 states, Washington, D.C., and the U.S. Virgin Islands.
Many people can gamble or play games of chance without harm. However, for some, gambling is an addiction that can ruin lives and families.
If you or a loved one shows signs of gambling addiction, you can seek help by calling the national gambling hotline at 1-800-522-4700 or visiting the National Council on Problem Gambling website.